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Yeganeh FA, Summerill C, Hu Z, Rahmani H, Taylor DW, Taylor KA. The cryo-EM 3D image reconstruction of isolated Lethocerus indicus Z-discs. J Muscle Res Cell Motil 2023; 44:271-286. [PMID: 37661214 PMCID: PMC10843718 DOI: 10.1007/s10974-023-09657-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
The Z-disk of striated muscle defines the ends of the sarcomere, which repeats many times within the muscle fiber. Here we report application of cryoelectron tomography and subtomogram averaging to Z-disks isolated from the flight muscles of the large waterbug Lethocerus indicus. We use high salt solutions to remove the myosin containing filaments and use gelsolin to remove the actin filaments of the A- and I-bands leaving only the thin filaments within the Z-disk which were then frozen for cryoelectron microscopy. The Lethocerus Z-disk structure is similar in many ways to the previously studied Z-disk of the honeybee Apis mellifera. At the corners of the unit cell are positioned trimers of paired antiparallel F-actins defining a large solvent channel, whereas at the trigonal positions are positioned F-actin trimers converging slowly towards their (+) ends defining a small solvent channel through the Z-disk. These near parallel F-actins terminate at different Z-heights within the Z-disk. The two types of solvent channel in Lethocerus are similar in size compared to those of Apis which are very different in size. Two types of α-actinin crosslinks were observed between oppositely oriented actin filaments. In one of these, the α-actinin long axis is almost parallel to the F-actins it crosslinks. In the other, the α-actinins are at a small but distinctive angle with respect to the crosslinked actin filaments. The utility of isolated Z-disks for structure determination is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fatemeh Abbasi Yeganeh
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 32306-4380, USA
| | - Corinne Summerill
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 32306-4380, USA
- Department of Life and Earth Sciences, Perimeter College, Georgia State University, 33 Gilmer Street SE, Atlanta, GA, 30303, USA
| | - Zhongjun Hu
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 32306-4380, USA
- Facebook, Inc, 1 Hacker Way, Menlo Park, CA, 94025, USA
| | - Hamidreza Rahmani
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 32306-4380, USA
- The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Dianne W Taylor
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 32306-4380, USA
| | - Kenneth A Taylor
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 32306-4380, USA.
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2
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Liu F, Cui Y, Lu H, Chen X, Li Q, Ye Z, Chen W, Zhu S. Myofilaments promote wing expansion and maintain genitalia morphology in the American cockroach, Periplaneta americana. INSECT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2023; 32:46-55. [PMID: 36214335 DOI: 10.1111/imb.12812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2022] [Accepted: 10/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Insects are the most widely distributed and successful animals on the planet. A large number of insects are capable of flight with functional wings. Wing expansion is an important process for insects to achieve functional wings after eclosion and healthy genital morphology is crucial for adult reproduction. Myofilaments are functional units that constitute sarcomeres and trigger muscle contraction. Here, we identified four myofilament proteins, including Myosin, Paramyosin, Tropomyosin and Troponin T, from the wing pads of nymphs in the American cockroach, Periplaneta americana. RNAi-mediated knockdown of Myosin, Paramyosin, Tropomyosin and Troponin T in the early stage of final instar nymphs caused a severely curly wing phenotype in the imaginal moult, especially in the Paramyosin and Troponin T knockdown groups, indicating that these myofilament proteins are involved in controlling wing expansion behaviours during the nymph-adult transition. In addition, the knockdown resulted in abnormal external genitalia, caused ovulation failure, and affected male accessory gland development. Interestingly, the expression of myofilament genes was induced by methoprene, a juvenile hormone (JH) analogue, and decreased by the depletion of the JH receptor gene Met. Altogether, we have determined that myofilament genes play an important role in promoting wing expansion and maintaining adult genitalia morphology, and their expression is induced by JH signalling. Our data reveal a novel mechanism by which wing expansion is regulated by myofilaments and the functions of myofilaments are involved in maintaining genitalia morphology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fangfang Liu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Insect Developmental Biology and Applied Technology, Institute of Insect Science and Technology & School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Yingying Cui
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Insect Developmental Biology and Applied Technology, Institute of Insect Science and Technology & School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Huna Lu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Insect Developmental Biology and Applied Technology, Institute of Insect Science and Technology & School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaoyi Chen
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Insect Developmental Biology and Applied Technology, Institute of Insect Science and Technology & School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Qin Li
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Insect Developmental Biology and Applied Technology, Institute of Insect Science and Technology & School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Ziqi Ye
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Insect Developmental Biology and Applied Technology, Institute of Insect Science and Technology & School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Wanyi Chen
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Insect Developmental Biology and Applied Technology, Institute of Insect Science and Technology & School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Shiming Zhu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Insect Developmental Biology and Applied Technology, Institute of Insect Science and Technology & School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China
- Guangmeiyuan R&D Center, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Insect Developmental Biology and Applied Technology, South China Normal University, Meizhou, People's Republic of China
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3
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Daneshparvar N, Taylor DW, O'Leary TS, Rahmani H, Abbasiyeganeh F, Previs MJ, Taylor KA. CryoEM structure of Drosophila flight muscle thick filaments at 7 Å resolution. Life Sci Alliance 2020; 3:3/8/e202000823. [PMID: 32718994 PMCID: PMC7391215 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.202000823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2020] [Revised: 06/30/2020] [Accepted: 06/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Striated muscle thick filaments are composed of myosin II and several non-myosin proteins. Myosin II's long α-helical coiled-coil tail forms the dense protein backbone of filaments, whereas its N-terminal globular head containing the catalytic and actin-binding activities extends outward from the backbone. Here, we report the structure of thick filaments of the flight muscle of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster at 7 Å resolution. Its myosin tails are arranged in curved molecular crystalline layers identical to flight muscles of the giant water bug Lethocerus indicus Four non-myosin densities are observed, three of which correspond to ones found in Lethocerus; one new density, possibly stretchin-mlck, is found on the backbone outer surface. Surprisingly, the myosin heads are disordered rather than ordered along the filament backbone. Our results show striking myosin tail similarity within flight muscle filaments of two insect orders separated by several hundred million years of evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadia Daneshparvar
- Department of Physics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA.,Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
| | - Dianne W Taylor
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
| | - Thomas S O'Leary
- Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics, University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, VT, USA
| | - Hamidreza Rahmani
- Department of Physics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA.,Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
| | | | - Michael J Previs
- Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics, University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, VT, USA
| | - Kenneth A Taylor
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
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4
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Szikora S, Gajdos T, Novák T, Farkas D, Földi I, Lenart P, Erdélyi M, Mihály J. Nanoscopy reveals the layered organization of the sarcomeric H-zone and I-band complexes. J Cell Biol 2020; 219:132617. [PMID: 31816054 PMCID: PMC7039190 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.201907026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2019] [Revised: 10/04/2019] [Accepted: 10/22/2019] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Sarcomeres are extremely highly ordered macromolecular assemblies where structural organization is intimately linked to their functionality as contractile units. Although the structural basis of actin and Myosin interaction is revealed at a quasiatomic resolution, much less is known about the molecular organization of the I-band and H-zone. We report the development of a powerful nanoscopic approach, combined with a structure-averaging algorithm, that allowed us to determine the position of 27 sarcomeric proteins in Drosophila melanogaster flight muscles with a quasimolecular, ∼5- to 10-nm localization precision. With this protein localization atlas and template-based protein structure modeling, we have assembled refined I-band and H-zone models with unparalleled scope and resolution. In addition, we found that actin regulatory proteins of the H-zone are organized into two distinct layers, suggesting that the major place of thin filament assembly is an M-line-centered narrow domain where short actin oligomers can form and subsequently anneal to the pointed end.
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Affiliation(s)
- Szilárd Szikora
- Institute of Genetics, Biological Research Centre, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Szeged, Hungary.,Department of Optics and Quantum Electronics, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Tamás Gajdos
- Department of Optics and Quantum Electronics, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Tibor Novák
- Department of Optics and Quantum Electronics, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Dávid Farkas
- Institute of Genetics, Biological Research Centre, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Szeged, Hungary.,Doctoral School in Biology, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
| | - István Földi
- Institute of Genetics, Biological Research Centre, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Peter Lenart
- Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Miklós Erdélyi
- Department of Optics and Quantum Electronics, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
| | - József Mihály
- Institute of Genetics, Biological Research Centre, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Szeged, Hungary.,Department of Optics and Quantum Electronics, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
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5
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Ma W, Lee KH, Yang S, Irving TC, Craig R. Lattice arrangement of myosin filaments correlates with fiber type in rat skeletal muscle. J Gen Physiol 2019; 151:1404-1412. [PMID: 31699797 PMCID: PMC6888752 DOI: 10.1085/jgp.201912460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2019] [Accepted: 10/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Ma et al. studied the 3-D arrangement of thick filaments in skeletal muscle by x-ray diffraction and electron microscopy and found a correlation between thick filament lattice type (simple or superlattice) and fiber type (fast/slow). This suggests that lattice organization contributes to muscle functional properties. The thick (myosin-containing) filaments of vertebrate skeletal muscle are arranged in a hexagonal lattice, interleaved with an array of thin (actin-containing) filaments with which they interact to produce contraction. X-ray diffraction and EM have shown that there are two types of thick filament lattice. In the simple lattice, all filaments have the same orientation about their long axis, while in the superlattice, nearest neighbors have rotations differing by 0° or 60°. Tetrapods (amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals) typically have only a superlattice, while the simple lattice is confined to fish. We have performed x-ray diffraction and electron microscopy of the soleus (SOL) and extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles of the rat and found that while the EDL has a superlattice as expected, the SOL has a simple lattice. The EDL and SOL of the rat are unusual in being essentially pure fast and slow muscles, respectively. The mixed fiber content of most tetrapod muscles and/or lattice disorder may explain why the simple lattice has not been apparent in these vertebrates before. This is supported by only weak simple lattice diffraction in the x-ray pattern of mouse SOL, which has a greater mix of fiber types than rat SOL. We conclude that the simple lattice might be common in tetrapods. The correlation between fiber type and filament lattice arrangement suggests that the lattice arrangement may contribute to the functional properties of a muscle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weikang Ma
- Department of Biological Sciences, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL
| | - Kyoung Hwan Lee
- Division of Cell Biology and Imaging, Department of Radiology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA
| | - Shixin Yang
- Division of Cell Biology and Imaging, Department of Radiology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA
| | - Thomas C Irving
- Department of Biological Sciences, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL
| | - Roger Craig
- Division of Cell Biology and Imaging, Department of Radiology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA
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6
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Iwamoto H. X-ray diffraction pattern from the flight muscle of Toxorhynchites towadensis reveals the specific phylogenic position of mosquito among Diptera. ZOOLOGICAL LETTERS 2015; 1:24. [PMID: 26605069 PMCID: PMC4657346 DOI: 10.1186/s40851-015-0024-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2015] [Accepted: 07/20/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The Diptera are a group of insects with only a single pair of wings (forewings), and are considered monophyletic (originating from a common ancestor). The flight muscle in Diptera has features not observed in other insects, such as the long Pro-Ala-rich peptide associated with tropomyosin, not with troponin-I as in other insects, and the formation of a superlattice by myosin filaments analogous to that in vertebrate skeletal muscle. RESULTS Here we describe X-ray diffraction patterns from the flight muscle of a mosquito, Toxorhynchites towadensis (Culicidae), belonging to a primitive group of Diptera. The diffraction pattern indicates that myosin filaments in the flight muscle of this species do not form a superlattice. X-ray diffraction also shows meridional reflections that are not observed in other dipterans, but are present in the patterns from bumblebee (Hymenoptera) flight muscle. CONCLUSION These observations suggest that the superlattice structure evolved after the common ancestor of Diptera had diverged from other insects. The flight muscle of mosquito may retain primitive structural features that are shared by Hymenoptera.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroyuki Iwamoto
- Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute, SPring-8, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5198 Japan
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7
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Iwamoto H, Trombitás K, Yagi N, Suggs JA, Bernstein SI. X-ray diffraction from flight muscle with a headless myosin mutation: implications for interpreting reflection patterns. Front Physiol 2014; 5:416. [PMID: 25400584 PMCID: PMC4212879 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2014.00416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2014] [Accepted: 10/08/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) is one of the most useful animal models to study the causes and effects of hereditary diseases because of its rich genetic resources. It is especially suitable for studying myopathies caused by myosin mutations, because specific mutations can be induced to the flight muscle-specific myosin isoform, while leaving other isoforms intact. Here we describe an X-ray-diffraction-based method to evaluate the structural effects of mutations in contractile proteins in Drosophila indirect flight muscle. Specifically, we describe the effect of the headless myosin mutation, Mhc (10) -Y97, in which the motor domain of the myosin head is deleted, on the X-ray diffraction pattern. The loss of general integrity of the filament lattice is evident from the pattern. A striking observation, however, is the prominent meridional reflection at d = 14.5 nm, a hallmark for the regularity of the myosin-containing thick filament. This reflection has long been considered to arise mainly from the myosin head, but taking the 6th actin layer line reflection as an internal control, the 14.5-nm reflection is even stronger than that of wild-type muscle. We confirmed these results via electron microscopy, wherein image analysis revealed structures with a similar periodicity. These observations have major implications on the interpretation of myosin-based reflections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroyuki Iwamoto
- Research and Utilization Division, Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute, SPring-8 Hyogo, Japan
| | - Károly Trombitás
- Veterinary and Comparative Anatomy, Pharmacology and Physiology, Washington State University Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Naoto Yagi
- Research and Utilization Division, Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute, SPring-8 Hyogo, Japan
| | - Jennifer A Suggs
- Department of Biology, Molecular Biology Institute, Heart Institute, San Diego State University San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Sanford I Bernstein
- Department of Biology, Molecular Biology Institute, Heart Institute, San Diego State University San Diego, CA, USA
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8
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The roles of troponin C isoforms in the mechanical function of Drosophila indirect flight muscle. J Muscle Res Cell Motil 2014; 35:211-23. [PMID: 25134799 DOI: 10.1007/s10974-014-9387-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2014] [Accepted: 07/29/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Stretch activation (SA) is a fundamental property of all muscle types that increases power output and efficiency, yet its mechanism is unknown. Recently, studies have implicated troponin isoforms as important in the SA mechanism. The highly stretch-activated Drosophila IFMs express two isoforms of the Ca(2+)-binding subunit of troponin (TnC). TnC1 (TnC-F2 in Lethocerus IFM) has two calcium binding sites, while an unusual isoform, TnC4 (TnC-F1 in Lethocerus IFM), has only one binding site. We investigated the roles of these two TnC isoforms in Drosophila IFM by targeting RNAi to each isoform. IFMs with TnC4 expression (normally ~90% of total TnC) replaced by TnC1 did not generate isometric tension, power or display SA. However, TnC4 knockdown resulted in sarcomere ultrastructure disarray, which could explain the lack of mechanical function and thus make interpretation of the influence of TnC4 on SA difficult. Elimination of TnC1 expression (normally ~10% of total TnC) by RNAi resulted in normal muscle structure. In these IFMs, fiber power generation, isometric tension, stretch-activated force and calcium sensitivity were statistically identical to wild type. When TnC1 RNAi was driven by an IFM specific driver, there was no decrease in flight ability or wing beat frequency, which supports our mechanical findings suggesting that TnC1 is not essential for the mechanical function of Drosophila IFM. This finding contrasts with previous work in Lethocerus IFM showing TnC1 is essential for maximum isometric force generation. We propose that differences in TnC1 function in Lethocerus and Drosophila contribute to the ~40-fold difference in IFM isometric tension generated between these species.
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9
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X-ray diffraction evidence for myosin-troponin connections and tropomyosin movement during stretch activation of insect flight muscle. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2010; 108:120-5. [PMID: 21148419 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1014599107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Stretch activation is important in the mechanical properties of vertebrate cardiac muscle and essential to the flight muscles of most insects. Despite decades of investigation, the underlying molecular mechanism of stretch activation is unknown. We investigated the role of recently observed connections between myosin and troponin, called "troponin bridges," by analyzing real-time X-ray diffraction "movies" from sinusoidally stretch-activated Lethocerus muscles. Observed changes in X-ray reflections arising from myosin heads, actin filaments, troponin, and tropomyosin were consistent with the hypothesis that troponin bridges are the key agent of mechanical signal transduction. The time-resolved sequence of molecular changes suggests a mechanism for stretch activation, in which troponin bridges mechanically tug tropomyosin aside to relieve tropomyosin's steric blocking of myosin-actin binding. This enables subsequent force production, with cross-bridge targeting further enhanced by stretch-induced lattice compression and thick-filament twisting. Similar linkages may operate in other muscle systems, such as mammalian cardiac muscle, where stretch activation is thought to aid in cardiac ejection.
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10
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Iwamoto H, Inoue K, Yagi N. Fast x-ray recordings reveal dynamic action of contractile and regulatory proteins in stretch-activated insect flight muscle. Biophys J 2010; 99:184-92. [PMID: 20655846 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2010.04.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2009] [Revised: 03/20/2010] [Accepted: 04/01/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022] Open
Abstract
To assess the ability of the thin-filament regulatory system to control each stretch-activation (SA) event in the fast beating of asynchronous insect flight muscle (IFM), we obtained fast (3.4 ms/frame) and semistatic (> or = 50 ms) x-ray diffraction recordings for IFM fibers from bumblebees (beating at 170 Hz) and compared the results with those acquired in giant waterbugs (20-30 Hz) and crane flies (40 Hz, semistatic only). In contrast to the well-documented large SA force of waterbug IFMs, the SA force of bumblebee and crane fly IFMs was small compared to their large isometric force. In semistatic recordings, step-stretched bumblebee and crane fly IFMs showed smaller net SA-associated intensity changes in reflections that report myosin attachment to actin and tropomyosin movement toward its activating position. However, fast recordings on bumblebee IFMs showed a fast and large temporary reversal of intensities in these reflections, suggesting that the myosin heads supporting isometric force are dynamically replaced by SA-supporting heads, and that tropomyosin moves to and back from its inactivating position in milliseconds. In waterbug IFMs, the fast temporary reversal of intensities was not obvious. The observed rates of the attachment/detachment of myosin heads and the motion of tropomyosin are fast enough for the thin-filament regulatory system to control each SA event in fast-beating insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroyuki Iwamoto
- Research and Utilization Division, SPring-8, Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute, Hyogo, Japan.
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11
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Comparative biomechanics of thick filaments and thin filaments with functional consequences for muscle contraction. J Biomed Biotechnol 2010; 2010:473423. [PMID: 20625489 PMCID: PMC2896680 DOI: 10.1155/2010/473423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2010] [Accepted: 03/26/2010] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The scaffold of striated muscle is predominantly comprised of myosin and actin polymers known as thick filaments and thin filaments, respectively. The roles these filaments play in muscle contraction are well known, but the extent to which variations in filament mechanical properties influence muscle function is not fully understood. Here we review information on the material properties of thick filaments, thin filaments, and their primary constituents; we also discuss ways in which mechanical properties of filaments impact muscle performance.
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12
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Phosphorylation and the N-terminal extension of the regulatory light chain help orient and align the myosin heads in Drosophila flight muscle. J Struct Biol 2009; 168:240-9. [PMID: 19635572 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsb.2009.07.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2009] [Revised: 06/23/2009] [Accepted: 07/22/2009] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
X-ray diffraction of the indirect flight muscle (IFM) in living Drosophila at rest and electron microscopy of intact and glycerinated IFM was used to compare the effects of mutations in the regulatory light chain (RLC) on sarcomeric structure. Truncation of the RLC N-terminal extension (Dmlc2(Delta2-46)) or disruption of the phosphorylation sites by substituting alanines (Dmlc2(S66A, S67A)) decreased the equatorial intensity ratio (I(20)/I(10)), indicating decreased myosin mass associated with the thin filaments. Phosphorylation site disruption (Dmlc2(S66A, S67A)), but not N-terminal extension truncation (Dmlc2(Delta2-46)), decreased the 14.5nm reflection intensity, indicating a spread of the axial distribution of the myosin heads. The arrangement of thick filaments and myosin heads in electron micrographs of the phosphorylation mutant (Dmlc2(S66A, S67A)) appeared normal in the relaxed and rigor states, but when calcium activated, fewer myosin heads formed cross-bridges. In transgenic flies with both alterations to the RLC (Dmlc2(Delta2-46; S66A, S67A)), the effects of the dual mutation were additive. The results suggest that the RLC N-terminal extension serves as a "tether" to help pre-position the myosin heads for attachment to actin, while phosphorylation of the RLC promotes head orientations that allow optimal interactions with the thin filament.
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13
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Evidence for unique structural change of thin filaments upon calcium activation of insect flight muscle. J Mol Biol 2009; 390:99-111. [PMID: 19433094 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2009.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2009] [Revised: 05/01/2009] [Accepted: 05/04/2009] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Upon activation of living or skinned vertebrate skeletal muscle fibers, the sixth X-ray layer-line reflection from actin (6th ALL) is known to intensify, without a shift of its peak position along the layer line. Since myosin attachment to actin is expected to shift the peak towards the meridian, this intensification is considered to reflect the structural change of individual actin monomers in the thin filament. Here, we show that the 6th ALL of skinned insect flight muscles (IFMs) is rather weakened upon isometric calcium activation, and its peak shifts away from the meridian. This suggests that the actin monomers in the two types of muscles change their structures in substantially different manners. The changes that occurred in the 6th ALL of IFM were not diminished by lowering the temperature from 20 to 5 degrees C, while active force was greatly reduced. The inclusion of 100 microM blebbistatin (a myosin inhibitor) did not affect the changes either. This suggests that calcium binding to troponin C, rather than myosin binding to actin, causes the structural change of IFM actin.
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14
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Hooper SL, Hobbs KH, Thuma JB. Invertebrate muscles: thin and thick filament structure; molecular basis of contraction and its regulation, catch and asynchronous muscle. Prog Neurobiol 2008; 86:72-127. [PMID: 18616971 PMCID: PMC2650078 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2008.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 106] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2007] [Revised: 05/08/2008] [Accepted: 06/12/2008] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
This is the second in a series of canonical reviews on invertebrate muscle. We cover here thin and thick filament structure, the molecular basis of force generation and its regulation, and two special properties of some invertebrate muscle, catch and asynchronous muscle. Invertebrate thin filaments resemble vertebrate thin filaments, although helix structure and tropomyosin arrangement show small differences. Invertebrate thick filaments, alternatively, are very different from vertebrate striated thick filaments and show great variation within invertebrates. Part of this diversity stems from variation in paramyosin content, which is greatly increased in very large diameter invertebrate thick filaments. Other of it arises from relatively small changes in filament backbone structure, which results in filaments with grossly similar myosin head placements (rotating crowns of heads every 14.5 nm) but large changes in detail (distances between heads in azimuthal registration varying from three to thousands of crowns). The lever arm basis of force generation is common to both vertebrates and invertebrates, and in some invertebrates this process is understood on the near atomic level. Invertebrate actomyosin is both thin (tropomyosin:troponin) and thick (primarily via direct Ca(++) binding to myosin) filament regulated, and most invertebrate muscles are dually regulated. These mechanisms are well understood on the molecular level, but the behavioral utility of dual regulation is less so. The phosphorylation state of the thick filament associated giant protein, twitchin, has been recently shown to be the molecular basis of catch. The molecular basis of the stretch activation underlying asynchronous muscle activity, however, remains unresolved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott L. Hooper
- Neuroscience Program Department of Biological Sciences Ohio University Athens, OH 45701 614 593-0679 (voice) 614 593-0687 (FAX)
| | - Kevin H. Hobbs
- Neuroscience Program Department of Biological Sciences Ohio University Athens, OH 45701 614 593-0679 (voice) 614 593-0687 (FAX)
| | - Jeffrey B. Thuma
- Neuroscience Program Department of Biological Sciences Ohio University Athens, OH 45701 614 593-0679 (voice) 614 593-0687 (FAX)
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Littlefield KP, Ward AB, Chappie JS, Reedy MK, Bernstein SI, Milligan RA, Reedy MC. Similarities and differences between frozen-hydrated, rigor acto-S1 complexes of insect flight and chicken skeletal muscles. J Mol Biol 2008; 381:519-28. [PMID: 18588896 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2008.06.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2008] [Revised: 06/06/2008] [Accepted: 06/11/2008] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The structure and function of myosin crossbridges in asynchronous insect flight muscle (IFM) have been elucidated in situ using multiple approaches. These include generating "atomic" models of myosin in multiple contractile states by rebuilding the crystal structure of chicken subfragment 1 (S1) to fit IFM crossbridges in lower-resolution electron microscopy tomograms and by "mapping" the functional effects of genetically substituted, isoform-specific domains, including the converter domain, in chimeric IFM myosin to sequences in the crystal structure of chicken S1. We prepared helical reconstructions (approximately 25 A resolution) to compare the structural characteristics of nucleotide-free myosin0 S1 bound to actin (acto-S1) isolated from chicken skeletal muscle (CSk) and the flight muscles of Lethocerus (Leth) wild-type Drosophila (wt Dros) and a Drosophila chimera (IFI-EC) wherein the converter domain of the indirect flight muscle myosin isoform has been replaced by the embryonic skeletal myosin converter domain. Superimposition of the maps of the frozen-hydrated acto-S1 complexes shows that differences between CSk and IFM S1 are limited to the azimuthal curvature of the lever arm: the regulatory light-chain (RLC) region of chicken skeletal S1 bends clockwise (as seen from the pointed end of actin) while those of IFM S1 project in a straight radial direction. All the IFM S1s are essentially identical other than some variation in the azimuthal spread of density in the RLC region. This spread is most pronounced in the IFI-EC S1, consistent with proposals that the embryonic converter domain increases the compliance of the IFM lever arm affecting the function of the myosin motor. These are the first unconstrained models of IFM S1 bound to actin and the first direct comparison of the vertebrate and invertebrate skeletal myosin II classes, the latter for which, data on the structure of discrete acto-S1 complexes, are not readily available.
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